


Allineaters

by Tkeyla



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Community: 1-million-words, First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-05 22:57:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5393381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tkeyla/pseuds/Tkeyla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a gift fic for simplyn2deep, for the One Million Words Swap of Joy. Her prompt is at the end of the story.</p><p>It's a first time Steve/Danny story, mostly fluff and stuff.</p><p>Hope you enjoy it, BB!! Merry Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [simplyn2deep](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyn2deep/gifts).



“Hey, Danno?” Grace said, looking up from the book she’d been studying with all of her ten-year old concentration.  
  
They were sitting in the library of Seton Hall, Danny calling in a favor to get temporary access to the rare book section where the most informative genealogical books were stored. Grace was working on their family tree while she and Danny were visiting Jersey for Thanksgiving. He thought it was appropriate to be surrounded by the branches of his tree as Grace looked for the origins of the Williams in America and beyond.   
  
If he’d been able to be completely honest with himself, and by extension his family, he’d still be in Hawaii. But when Steve had been activated and shipped out right after Halloween, Danny decided to give into Grace’s puppy dog eyes of persuasion and accept his parents’ invitation (insistence) that they come to Jersey.  
  
Danny let everyone believe he was merely missing his best friend, not ready to admit his feelings for Steve went much deeper. He could barely admit to himself he’d fallen in love with the goof, much less tell anyone _not_ Steve.   
  
“Danno,” Grace repeated, an edge of impatience in her voice, reminding him too much of _that_ tone Rachel used. Not that he could think too many ugly things about his ex-wife. She had agreed to Grace being in Jersey for Thanksgiving, including missing two days from school for the trip.  
  
“Yeah Monkey,” Danny responded, leaning a little closer to her. The library was mostly deserted, the students leaving yesterday as soon as classes were done. But being quiet in the library was in his bones and he didn’t want to risk being thrown out.  
  
“Look,” Grace said, pointing at a weathered, aged book that she had carefully opened on the table. It was a list of all the Williamses who had fought in the Civil War, a handful listed as Confederates but Danny could ignore those without much trouble.  
  
“What?” Danny prompted. “You knew our family fought in the Civil War.”  
  
“I did know that,” Grace said, the _duh_ implied but unsaid. “I meant, look at this.” Her manicured finger (compliments of his mother) pointed to one name on the list of two dozen entries. In with all the Williamses was listed an S.J. McGarrett. “This says Steve fought in the Civil War,” Grace said, her brows crinkled in confusion, a trait she’d gotten directly from Danny.  
  
“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence,” Danny said, looking more closely. “S.J. McGarrett can’t be that unusual a name.”  
  
“It says he was in the Navy, stationed in Hawaii prior to the war,” Grace said.  
  
“I’m not sure Hawaii had been discovered in 1860,” Danny said, his mind racing. It was just a freak coincidence. That’s all it could be.  
  
“Of course it was discovered by then,” Grace said, too distracted to sound appropriately annoyed at his cluelessness. A tiny blessing Danny decided. “It’s Steve.”  
  
“It can’t be, Grace,” Danny insisted, not really believing his own words.   
  
“We need to find pictures,” Grace said, handling the pages with care as she hunted for photos.  
  
“I don’t think there are many pictures from back then,” Danny cautioned, part of him hoping her search would be fruitless. Part of him hoped she’d find photographic evidence that this S.J. McGarrett was a simple coincidence and in no way connected to theirs. A tiny, insistent part of him was absolutely certain that there was much, much more to the story than they knew. And they, or at least Danny, would have to wait for Steve to return home to get the answers. “Any luck?” he asked after Grace had checked almost all of the pages.  
  
“No,” she said in disappointment. “Maybe there are more pictures in here somewhere,” she said, looking around the room that held six rows of wooden shelves and a dozen cabinets where the most fragile documents were housed.  
  
“There may be, Monkey. But we need to go. Library closes in ten minutes,” Danny said, showing Grace the time on his phone.  
  
“Okay,” Grace said in disappointment.  
  
“You got a lot of really good information,” Danny reminded her as he helped her reshelf the books in their exact locations.  
  
“Yeah,” Grace agreed with a lack of enthusiasm. “When’s Steve coming home?”  
  
“He’s supposed to be back in time for New Year’s,” Danny said, hoping he sounded a little more sure to Grace than to his own ears. Steve’s deployments, as few of them as there had been, had never gone precisely as planned. Generally he ended up being away at least twice as long as he was told, a fact Danny tried to remember with little success.  
  
~0~  
  
That night, after everyone had gone to bed, Danny took out his iPad and googled Civil War photos. When that proved to be too broad, he narrowed his search to regiments from New Jersey. That returned fewer images to study. He scrutinized each picture, wondering whether or not he was surprised to discover several held images of men who could be no one but Steven J. McGarrett. There were no names identifying those in the pictures but it didn’t matter. His heart was racing as he studied the familiar features, the straight, almost aristocratic nose, the strong jaw, the beautiful cheekbones. It was Steve. But how was that possible? Some fluke of nature? Like that picture that seemed to be of Nicholas Cage when it clearly couldn’t be? But that historical look-alike wasn’t named Nicholas Cage, he just shared an uncanny resemblance with the actor.  
  
He figured it would be useless but he emailed Steve, asking if he knew about the distant McGarrett cousin/uncle/great-great-grandfather who fought in the Civil War. That done, he shut down his computer and turned off the light in the bedroom where he was sleeping – the same bedroom he’d slept growing up. He would have liked to turn off his brain as easily as the light but thoughts were swirling around and around. In the center was Steven J. McGarrett, both his and the one who could be his twin. But how was it possible? That’s what kept Danny awake the longest.  
  
~0~  
  
Half way around the world, in a place Steve could never admit he’d been, a young sailor approached Steve where he was studying the swirling seas outside the portside window.  
  
“Sir?” the seaman said hesitantly, extending a yellow envelope. “I was told to get this to you right away.”  
  
Steve nodded, accepting the telegram with some hesitation. It was almost unheard of to receive such communication while in battle-ready situations. That meant it was a message that could not be delayed. “Thank you,” Steve finally said, returning the seaman’s salute before watching him leave the bridge, the heavy metal door closing with a clang.   
  
Steve opened the sealed envelope, not entirely surprised to find that it was a transcription of an email from Danny. More of a surprise was what the telegram said.  
  
“Bad news?” the lieutenant on watch with him asked.  
  
“Yes and no,” Steve replied. “You have watch.”  
  
“Aye, sir,” the man responded, moving to the center position.  
  
Steve left the bridge to go below decks, entering the Captain’s office after a courtesy knock.  
  
“Captain,” Steve said, the yellow sheet in his hand as he approached the older man’s desk.  
  
“McGarrett,” the Captain responded, looking up at one of the fiercest warriors he’d ever served with. McGarrett was a special breed, a once-in-a-generation sailor.   
  
“I just received this message, sir,” Steve said, handing Captain Lyons the sheet.  
  
The Captain read the message and sighed. “Well,” he said in acceptance. “We figured it was bound to happen.”  
  
“Yes sir,” Steve agreed. Among the mixed feelings swirling around in his head were regret that he’d now have to retire from the Navy. He’d been outed and could no longer serve, at least not in any capacity for which there was an official record.  
  
“Get your kit, son. I’ll put in your retirement papers once I’ve arranged your transport home,” Captain Lyons said, standing. “I’m sorry we’re losing you.”  
  
“I am sorry as well,” Steve said. “But we figured it was inevitable that Danny would figure it out.”  
  
“I’m surprised, frankly, that it’s taken him this long,” the Captain said.  
  
Steve shrugged. What was there left to say? Danny had discovered the truth and that meant the end of Steve’s Naval career. Maybe when he got home and explained everything, he and Danny could finally move onto the next stage of their lives, providing Danny didn’t refuse to ever speak to him again.  
  
Steve returned his shattered focus to Captain Lyons who had dispatched his ensign to send the necessary telegrams. “According to the latest schedule I have, the next flight from base is scheduled for 0200. They’ll take you to the alternator in Oslo then you’ll get a flight to the states. Is Williams still in Jersey?”  
  
“Yes sir. Until Saturday. Unless today is Saturday,” Steve said with a small frown.  
  
“It’s Wednesday here,” the Commander said. “You should get to Hawaii before he does. That’s probably for the best for you.”  
  
“Yes sir,” Steve said, hesitating briefly. It felt like there was so much more that he ought to say. This would be his last official time on maneuvers. He’d always thought when this moment arrived, he’d be more emotional. He naturally felt some regret but more than that, he was excited about the turn he hoped his (and Danny’s) life was about to take.  
  
“Take care, Commander,” Lyons said, shaking Steve’s hand. “We’ll keep in touch.”  
  
“Aye aye sir,” Steve said.   
  
He collected his bag before going top side where he was directed by a sailor to the Beechcraft Model 18 that would take him on the first leg of his journey. ‘And so it ends,’ he thought philosophically. ‘Not with a bang, or a whimper.’  
  
~0~  
  
Steve woke to the sounds of someone in the downstairs of his house. As he considered the noises, he knew it wasn’t _someone_. It was Danny. Making coffee? That seemed the most likely scenario.  
  
Steve pulled on a pair of sweatpants before going to the bathroom. The clock said 8:30. He’d have to trust it. His body had no idea what time it was. He’d adjust soon. Two days hadn’t been enough to recover from his most recent deployment.   
  
“Hey,” he said as he wandered into his kitchen. Danny had a fond, familiar look on his face. But Steve was unaware of how adorable Danny found him at that moment, bleary eyed and with riotous bedhead, three day’s worth of stubble on his face.  
  
“Hey yourself,” Danny said, handing him a cup of coffee. “I didn’t know you were due back.”  
  
“Then why are you here?” Steve asked in amusement.  
  
“I mean, I knew you were back because you texted me. But you usually let me know that you’re coming home. You didn’t this time,” Danny explained, leaving an empty space at the end of his words for Steve to fill the void.  
  
“It was… kind of sudden,” Steve said, nodding toward the doors out to the beach.   
  
“I noticed,” Danny agreed, following him outside and to their chairs. “So why are you back already?”  
  
“Your email,” Steve said, seeing nothing to be gained by dancing around the topic.  
  
“My email?” Danny repeated. “You got it?”  
  
“In a roundabout way. I was effectively retired from the Navy as soon as it showed up in headquarters,” Steve said, his casual tone more surprising to Danny than the words themselves.  
  
“Headquarters?” Danny said with a small frown.  
  
“I can’t get email on maneuvers,” Steve said. “They are routed through HQ and forwarded on if they are deemed sufficiently urgent.”  
  
“My email wasn’t urgent,” Danny protested. “I was curious about the pictures I found.”  
  
“That made it urgent,” Steve said, seeing the confusion on Danny’s face. “And it made me retire.”  
  
“You retired? From the Navy? Because of an email?” Danny asked in a hushed tone that conveyed his astonishment.  
  
“I had no choice,” Steve said. “You found out I fought in the Civil War. That made me a liability to the Navy.”  
  
“Wait. Wait,” Danny said, holding up a hand. “That _was_ you? Not some freaky long lost relative look-alike?”  
  
“That was me,” Steve said. “I’m an Allineater.”  
  
“A what?” Danny asked, staring at Steve.  
  
“An Allineater.”  
  
“You do alienate me all the time. But what does that have to do with leaving the Navy? Or fighting in the Civil War?”  
  
“Not alienate. I’m an Allineater,” Steve said, spelling the word for him. “It means to adjust, straighten, make ordered.”  
  
“What does that mean as it relates to the Navy?”  
  
“I can time travel,” Steve said in a tone that could be used to discuss the weather. “It’s a highly classified assignment and we aren’t permitted….”  
  
“Hold on,” Danny demanded, cutting him off with a slashing motion. “Did you just say you can _time travel?”  
  
_ “Yes, I can time travel,” Steve confirmed.  
  
“There’s no such thing,” Danny responded because it was something to say although it clearly wasn’t true. He’d seen the proof in sepia and brown.  
  
“That’s what we want everyone to believe,” Steve agreed. “Because of its covert nature, once you figured it out, I was of no further use to the Navy.”  
  
“Wait. Wait,” Danny said again. “I send you an email about someone who looks like you in the Civil War and you’re fired from the Navy?”  
  
“It’s not quite that straight forward,” Steve said patiently. “You now know I can time travel. I would risk exposing the program if I remained in the Navy. By retiring, I won’t be connected with the Navy’s operation.”  
  
“Is being an Allineater a Navy only thing?” Danny asked in confusion.   
  
“It’s mainly a Navy thing. We are the ones who perfected the technology. We share it with the other armed forces when the need arises but it’s SOP for the Navy to be the primary users.”  
  
“The technology,” Danny repeated.  
  
Steve nodded. “Right before World War II started, the Nazis figured out how to manipulate time. The United States’ response was to steal and refine the technology. The Navy was assigned the responsibility to recruit and train Allineaters. When there is a disruption in the timeline, an Allineater is sent back to reset it.”  
  
“What is an Allineater, exactly? Is it a physical thing? A mental thing? Can anyone be an Allineater?”  
  
“It turns out that there are a limited number of humans who can withstand the molecular disruption caused by time traveling,” Steve said. “The Navy screens all recruits for those genetic markers. The other branches do as well. Very strong Allineatersare sent to the Navy instead of staying in the Army or Air Force.” **  
**  
“Why the Navy?” Danny asked.  
  
Steve shrugged. “Because we perfected the technology.”   
  
“So. What happens? Someone calls you and says you need to go fight in the Civil War to make things right?”  
  
“Pretty much,” Steve agreed. “Every time I’ve been recalled since I’ve known you, it was to time travel, to reset the timeline.”  
  
“Why does it get disrupted?” Danny asked. “There are no more Nazis.”  
  
“There are when they can time travel,” Steve pointed out. “And they weren’t particularly careful about who ended up with their devices.”  
  
“Devices,” Danny said. “How many are there?”  
  
“I’m not sure,” Steve said. “I’ve destroyed three of them. We think there are about a dozen left, not counting ours.”  
  
“How do you time travel?” Danny asked. This was a lot to take in but while Steve was answering questions, he sure wasn’t going to let the chance go by without asking them all.  
  
“It’s a box, or tube, that looks a little like a glass shower stall. I set the day, the month, and the year and the alternator sends me there. A higher ranking officer must confirm the settings so it’s harder to go rogue. I end up in the alternator at my designated time and location.”  
  
“Time and location,” Danny repeated, chewing over the words and what they represented. “Where were you?”  
  
“I can’t tell you where,” Steve said. “But I can tell you I was sent back to 1942.”  
  
“1942,” Danny responded. “Why don’t you go back and kill Hitler so there was no World War 2, no holocaust?”  
  
“Because those things happened,” Steve said. “There are enchiridions, way-stations in the timeline. The only things that I can change are things other Allineaters initiate.”  
  
“That doesn’t make sense,” Danny protested. “If Allineaters can’t change these enchiridions, what is there to fix?”  
  
“ _I_ can’t change them,” Steve said. “There are Allineaters who can.”  
  
“Oh,” Danny said, considering it. “The bad guys have figured out how to do it.”  
  
“More or less,” Steve said. “I was sent back to the Civil War because someone tried to kill your great-great-grandfather. If that had happened, you would have never existed.”  
  
“Ohhh…” Danny said.   
  
“That wasn’t a purely _official_ mission,” Steve admitted, watching Danny to gauge his response.   
  
“Not purely official?” Danny repeated, studying Steve.  
  
“I was allowed to take the mission to ensure that the Williams family line continued and your existence occurred,” Steve said, looking out at the ocean instead of staring openly at Danny. Right now that was the closest he could come to admitting why Danny’s existence was so vitally important to him.  
  
“My existence,” Danny said, standing up to pace. “My existence.”  
  
“Why are you angry?” Steve asked, returning his focus to Danny. He wore an expression Steve wasn’t sure he recognized.  
  
“What? Angry? No, not angry,” Danny said, shaking his head and turning his back to Steve to stare out at the ocean.   
  
“Not angry,” Steve said, standing behind Danny, close but not touching. Would Danny move away? That would answer so many of Steve’s unvoiced questions.  
  
“Confused,” Danny settled on.  
  
“It’s a lot to take in,” Steve confirmed.  
  
“A lot,” Danny echoed. He slowly turned to look up at Steve, keeping the same hands-width distance between them. The silence stretched out almost to the breaking point as Danny continued to stare at Steve, his blue eyes wide, his breathing shallow.  
  
“Say something,” Steve whispered.  
  
Danny’s step backward was not what Steve wanted but he wasn’t especially surprised. “I’m… I don’t… I…”  
  
Steve waited.   
  
“I… can’t,” Danny finally said.  
  
“Can’t what?” Steve asked barely above a whisper.  
  
Danny shook his head, looking past Steve to the house and beyond. “I have to go.”  
  
“Okay,” Steve said as neutrally as possible. He wanted to argue, to persuade, to beg. But Danny would decide what Danny would decide. Even time travelling couldn’t change that.  
  
~0~  
  
As Danny started the engine, the roar of the ocean was replaced by the roar in his own head. A time traveler. That explained so many things – missing days Steve couldn’t account for; his fuzziness on certain dates; his lack of focus when he returned from active duty.  
  
But none of it explained how Danny was feeling. If he had to put a word to it, that word would be _betrayed._ It didn’t make sense even to him but there it was. He knew full well he didn’t have the right to feel that way. Steve had sworn an oath before he knew Danny or the Williamses or… Or had he known about Danny before he’d joined the Navy? Or known Danny existed before Danny thought about moving to Hawaii?   
  
Add confused to the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.   
  
He glanced down at the phone laying on the passenger seat. So many questions. Would Steve… or could Steve… answer them? Did Danny really want him to? And why was Danny angry? It made no sense.  
  
Rather than calling Steve, or giving into the even stronger impulse of returning to Steve’s house, Danny drove home and found a football game to ignore. He hoped the familiar sounds would help him calm down, ground him, put him back on even footing.  
  
Three quarters of football and a six pack of beer later, Danny felt less angry but more confused. The more he considered what he had learned, the less it made sense. It wasn’t possible to time travel. Einstein had proved that. Hadn’t he? Physics was Steve’s area of expertise but Danny understood enough to know that time only went one direction. What with light and force and energy. Were those all part of it? And what did it matter? Steve said he could time travel and did it at the behest of the US Navy of which he was no longer a part. Because Denny had accidentally learned the truth.  
  
If he’d known this would be the outcome, he’d have never sent that email. And what was that that Steve had said about it ending up in headquarters? Well, Steve couldn’t have gotten an email in 1942. There weren’t even phones in 1942. Or were there? Did it matter? Some anonymous Navy person screened all of Steve’s emails and decided which warranted being passed on. That did piss off Danny. What about privacy? Unlawful search and seizure? Even if Steve was forced to agree to have his email screened, Danny had never agreed to permit it. And why not just ignore the emails? Danny always assumed wherever Steve was wasn’t equipped with Wi-Fi. No towers poking up from the sand in the middle of Kandahar. But Steve hadn’t been in Kandahar, had he? He’d been in Germany or on the shores of Dover or God knew where. No, not where, Danny corrected himself. _When_. And that completed the mental circle chasing around his head.  
  
Danny decided since it was dark, it was late enough to go to bed. He barely slept which he guessed was to be expected. But then he’d never been told before that his best friend was a time traveler. How could he know what was ‘normal’ under those circumstances?  
  
~0~  
  
The smell of coffee finally coaxed him out of bed the next morning. It was full day light. He figured Steve had run from his house to Danny’s, to think things through.  
  
Steve was in his kitchen drinking coffee but he was wearing blue jeans and a forest green tee shirt. Not Army green. More like Christmas green.  
  
“I’m not sure I want to talk to you,” Danny said by way of greeting as he took the steaming cup of coffee from Steve’s outstretched hand.  
  
“As I surmised from the 13 ignored texts I sent you.”  
  
“There were only 7,” Danny said.  
  
“Hardly matters. You didn’t answer,” Steve pointed out.  
  
“I guess,” Danny said, leaning against the cabinet close enough to Steve to feel his body heat radiating out to warm his side. “I’m still angry.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“I have no idea,” Danny admitted. “I know I don’t have the right. But it doesn’t seem to matter.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said. “Let me buy you pancakes.”  
  
Danny shook his head, turning to look up at Steve, studying him. “Why was going back to the Civil War so important to you?”  
  
“I told you. I had to stop your great-great-grandfather from being killed by an Allineater.”  
  
“When were you there?” Danny asked, wondering if Steve was being intentionally dense. He resorted to it from time to time, mostly to annoy Danny and coax a rant from him.  
  
“1860,” Steve said.  
  
“No. When was it here? When did you leave from here?”  
  
“Why?” Steve asked, not obstinately as he sometimes did. But out of curiosity.  
  
“Did you already know me?”  
  
“If I didn’t know you, why would I need to save you?” Steve asked.  
  
“Oh,” Danny said. “Oh. You saved Grace too.”  
  
“Yep,” Steve agreed.  
  
“You _needed_ to save me?” Danny asked, looking up at him. He felt considerably less angry and quite a bit more… _something_.  
  
“Yep,” Steve repeated, a twinkle in his eye that hadn’t been there until he said that word.  
  
“So I could save you?” Danny asked.  
  
“Something like that,” Steve said. “Will you? Save me?”  
  
“Haven’t I already?” Danny asked softly, taking one step closer, the heat between them building. It might boil over. In fact, Danny hoped it would, and soon.  
  
“Yep,” Steve said, focused on Danny’s mouth.  
  
“Are you going to kiss me or just stare at my mouth?” Danny whispered, standing on his toes. Damn Steve and his damn stretched out frame.  
  
“Kiss,” Steve decided before doing as requested.  
  
Later, when they could breathe and think and talk, there would be questions and partial answers, plans and admissions. But that would come after, happily ever after.  



	2. Edinburgh Scotland - 1845

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Steve disappears on an allineater mission, Danny, Chin, and Kono must find him and bring him home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't actually planned to add to this story but it was such fun to imagine them in period clothes, I decided why not? I may add more, if my muses are agreeable.

Kono looked up and frowned when she saw the admiral standing in the outer office. Ordinarily she could ignore the presence of such a high ranking Naval officer. They came by occasionally to talk to Steve, and before his retirement to provide instructions for a new “unofficial” assignment. But with Steve away on a top-secret allineater mission, Kono’s heart skipped a beat. _Dear God,_ Kono prayed silently as she rounded her desk. _For Danny’s sake… for all our sakes…please don’t let Steve be dead._  
  
Danny was already in the outer office when Kono and Chin reached his side. Danny was pale but was waiting as patiently as he could. Steve had told her and Chin about being an allineater when he’d announced he’d been retired from the Navy. It was at the same lunch that Steve and Danny finally admitted that they were no longer “only” friends.  
  
“About damn time,” Kono said with a smile and a wink for Chin.  
  
“Congrats,” Chin had said before ordering another round of beers.  
  
But that had been three months earlier, before Steve had been temporarily if unofficially recalled.  
  
“Just this once,” Steve had told Danny, Kono and Chin ease-dropping on the conversation that had occurred in Danny’s office. They’d expected fireworks but Danny took the news with unexpected equanimity.  
  
“He belonged to the Navy longer than he’s known me,” Danny had said in resignation after Steve had left.  
  
Had it only been three days ago? That hardly seemed possible to Kono as she stood and waited for the news. Steve’s absences seemed to take even more room than his presence.  
  
“Ahh… Detective Williams,” the admiral said, extending his hand to Danny, shaking hands with Chin and Kono after being introduced. “I’m Admiral Wallin. Let me put your worse fears to rest. I am here about Commander McGarrett but not because he is injured.”  
  
Danny managed to breathe after hearing those words.  
  
“Steve is okay?” Kono asked when Danny remained unnaturally silent.  
  
“Let me clarify,” Admiral Wallin said. “In actuality, we have lost the Commander.”  
  
“You lost him,” Danny repeated. Those were not words they ever wanted to hear. “You lost him.”  
  
“As you know, we requested that he unofficially undertake this latest mission,” the admiral said. “He arrived at the assigned time and location, accomplished the task, then apparently vanished.”  
  
“How is that possible?” Kono asked for all of them. She was pretty sure Danny was so busy processing the information that he wouldn’t be able to find the words to pose the question.  
  
“He was due to report back to the allineator at 0700 local time. The operator said he never arrived. Despite the fact that officially he was not there at the Navy’s request, two of our lieutenants undertook a search of the area where McGarrett had been embedded. His personal effects remained but he was nowhere to be found.”  
  
“You’ve lost Steve,” Danny said in accusation as though the admiral had not just explained that exact problem.  
  
“That is why I am here,” the admiral said, looking both guilty and apologetic. “We cannot man a full scale search for McGarrett because he’s no longer Navy.”  
  
“So you just leave him wherever or whenever he is and wash your hands of him?” Danny demanded in growing anger. Kono took one step closer to Danny as Chin did the same.  
  
The admiral held up one hand in a calming gesture. Kono felt anything but calmed by it. “I’m here to request that you travel to his last known location and continue the search.”  
  
“Steve said only certain people are capable of time traveling,” Kono said when Danny did not respond except for trying to stare holes in the admiral with his anger.  
  
“That is the case for repeated trips in the allenator,” the admiral said. “Unless you suffer from severe vertigo, no ill effects occur from traveling once.”  
  
“Of course we’ll go,” Danny said. “Where is he? When can we leave?”  
  
“We?” the admiral asked, looking at Danny in question.  
  
“Kono and Chin are coming with,” Danny said. “Steve is _ohana._ ”  
  
“I cannot permit…” the admiral began.  
  
“You cannot conduct an official search,” Danny said cutting him off. “You need me to do it. Ergo Chin and Kono are going as well.”  
  
The admiral studied the determined expression on the three faces before him. He wished he had them on his team. Nothing would stand in their way. “McGarrett is in Edinburgh Scotland, in 1845.”  
  
“All right,” Danny said. “Where do we go to get to him?”  
  
“I really must insist that Lieutenant Kelly and Officer Kalakaua stand down,” the admiral said. He ignored the anger emanating from Chin, and from Kono who had unconsciously balled up her hands into fists. She didn’t think she would really hit him but she was sorely tempted.  
  
“Non-negotiable,” Danny retorted.  
  
“If it were this century, it would not be problematic,” Wallin said, trying for diplomatic.  
  
“It isn’t problematic,” Danny said. “They are coming.”  
  
“We aren’t white,” Chin finally said to Danny in a calming tone. “We’ll be obvious in Edinburgh.”  
  
“I don’t care,” Danny said.  
  
“Neither do I,” Kono said even though she knew it would cause some difficulties for them all.  
  
“Their presence could undermine your search,” Wallin said as diplomatically as possible.  
  
“And I don’t care,” Danny repeated. “Steve is missing. _We_ are going to go find him.”  
  
Kono glanced at Chin before looking over at the admiral who was still studying all three of them. She was about to confirm that they were all going when Danny took a deep breath and turned to speak quietly to them.  
  
“Unless you’re worried,” Danny finally relented. “I don’t want you to be subjected to their prejudicial views.”  
  
“We’re not worried for ourselves,” Chin told him. “If you want us there, of course we’ll come.”  
  
“That settles it then,” Danny confirmed. “Where do we go to the allenator?”  
  
“Detective,” the admiral began, clearly determined to try one more time to convince him of going alone. However his protest was short-circuited by the singular expression on their faces. They were all going. The debate was over. “Very well. I’ll take you the allenator. You’ll need my authorization to enter. Do you need to notify your loved ones that you will be out of town for an undetermined time?”  
  
“I need to call my daughter,” Danny said as Kono and Chin went to their offices to notify their families.  
  
When all of their phone calls were made, including the one Danny told them he made to the governor informing him of their absence with a minimum of explanation, they left with Admiral Wallin. They entered his plain white sedan for a ride of only ten minutes. He pulled up beside a fire station, much like every other fire station in Honolulu.  
  
“It’s in here?” Danny asked as they all exited.  
  
“In a way,” Admiral Wallin said, leading them behind the brick building. None of the firemen milling around the open bay doors paid them any attention as they followed the admiral. When they were in the tiny grass backyard of the station, Wallin pulled on a ring that was attached to what appeared to be a root cellar.  
  
“I don’t think I’ve seen an underground root cellar since I moved here,” Danny said.  
  
“Too great a chance of flooding,” Chin confirmed.  
  
The admiral climbed down a straight metal ladder, waiting at the bottom as the other three followed. It was dark and musty in the small circle of compacted dirt. Kono could see that Danny was battling feelings of claustrophobia.  
  
“We’re going to find him,” she assured Danny. That seemed to help distract him from the closeness of the opening.  
  
“Right, right,” he agreed, looking at her instead of the walls.  
  
On the dirt wall next to the admiral was what looked like a fuse box which the admiral opened to reveal a code pad with a large illuminated screen. Wallin placed his hand flat on the screen, the dirt slowly sliding sideways to reveal an opening beyond.  
  
“Go ahead,” Wallin instructed, leaving his hand in place as the others crossed the newly revealed threshold. When they were all through, he followed, the door sliding closed behind them. They were standing in a tunnel of concrete, barely high enough for the admiral to stand completely upright. The admiral’s head occasionally grazed the roof of the tunnel as he led them deeper but he knew to be mindful of its lowness.  
  
“You okay?” Kono asked Danny, holding his hand in support. She was pretty sure she already knew the answer but there was nothing to be done.  
  
“Not really. I’d climb back up if we weren’t going after Steve.”  
  
“Understandable,” Kono said, continuing to follow the admiral close to Danny.  
  
Wallin stopped in front of another panel, repeating the process, his palm print opening a door that was more obvious this time. Beyond was a huge room, bright and buzzing with energy. They had to wait for their eyes to adjust to the increased light before they felt secure in following the admiral.  
  
“This is the Honolulu allineator,” he said unnecessarily. “These are members of Five-0. They are going on a search-and-rescue for our missing allineater.”  
  
“Yes, sir,” the three sailors standing at attention by their stations responded.  
  
“As you were,” Wallin said. “Any signs of McGarrett?” he asked the closest sailor who was studying a black and green screen that looked like it belonged in an air traffic control tower.  
  
“None, sir,” was the disappointing response.  
  
“As we feared,” Wallin said. “We can track you for most of your time in Edinburgh. There will times when it will be impossible but for the most part, we’ll have an idea where you are and your general condition.”  
  
“You mean if we die, you’ll know,” Danny said bluntly.  
  
“Yes,” the admiral confirmed. “You’ll be provided period clothing, money, and identification when you arrive. The crew in Edinburgh will arrange accommodations, transportation, and horses just in case. Can you ride?”  
  
“Yes,” Danny said, including all of them.  
  
“I’ve never ridden side saddle,” Kono said, not sure how women actually managed. But she had the feeling she was about to find out.  
  
“You’ll adapt,” Wallin assured her. “I’ve seen your file. I doubt there are many things you can’t do.”  
  
“Thank you,” she said feeling a soft blush color her cheeks.  
  
“Should we try to disguise our accents?” Danny asked.  
  
“No, that won’t be necessary. Visitors from America aren’t unheard of. However they are almost always white.”  
  
“We understand,” Chin assured him.  
  
“You’re sure you want to go?” Danny asked them one final time.  
  
“That discussion is closed, brah,” Chin told him firmly. Kono made sure her _you are in for an ass-kicking if you ask again_ face was firmly in place. She knew that was the only answer required.  
  
“All right. We’re ready then,” Danny said.  
  
“You’ll have to go one at the time,” Wallin said, using his palm print to open the door of a chamber that looked a little like a high tech shower stall. “Officer Kalakaua.”  
  
Kono took a deep breath and entered the tube. She closed his eyes, not entirely sure what to expect. One moment she was standing beneath a fire station in Honolulu, the next moment she felt like she was falling. That discomforting sensation lasted only a few seconds before she heard a quiet thump and opened her eyes. She was surrounded by a chamber that was glowing an iridescent green.  
  
“Welcome to Edinburgh,” a sailor said as she opened the chamber door. “The Admiral informed us that three of you were coming. Are you Officer Kalakaua?”  
  
“I am,” Kono agreed, looking at the young woman in a brown hooped skirt. Her hair was in an elaborate upsweep, ribbons threaded through in an elaborate manner. “Danny and Chin will be here momentarily, I guess.”  
  
“If you’ll exit the chamber,” she said, sweeping her land toward the lab behind her.  
  
“Of course,” she agreed, stepping out.  
  
Very soon, the chamber glowed and Danny stumbled out. He was swaying on his feet, his face pale.  
  
“You’ll get used to it,” a tall man assured him. He gently grasped Danny’s elbow and helped him sit in an upholstered chair.  
  
“It happens to everyone?” Danny asked, leaning his forehead on his knees in an effort to combat the dizziness trying to overwhelm him.  
  
“Everyone,” the man said, watching the chamber as it opened to reveal Chin within.  
  
“Are you all right?” the first woman asked her as Chin effortlessly left the tube.  
  
“I’m perfectly fine,” Chin said, squatting next to Danny. “Dizzy, huh?”  
  
“Not so much now,” Danny said as he sat up. “You?”  
  
“I’m good,” Chin said. “Steve told me that non-Caucasians were less susceptible to vertigo.”  
  
“Huh,” Danny said.  
  
“I’m Clara,” the woman said. “This is Jasper and Preston.”  
  
There were hand shakes and quick pleasantries before they got down to the business at hand.  
  
“I think the dresses we chose may be too big for you,” Clara said, eyeing Kono. “We’ll give one a try and see.”  
  
Kono nodded before following Clara into a closet filled with women’s clothes, shoes, under things, and accessories. “Do you feel confined in your dress?” Kono asked as she stepped behind a privacy screen to undress.  
  
“It’s bulky,” Clara agreed. “But you become accustom to it. I wouldn’t want to wear one in Hawaii. I’d melt.”  
  
“It’s a big difference from the jeans and bikinis I usually wear,” Kono said, accepting the cotton under things which seemed excessive. But she had to dress the part so put them on. They effectively covered her from shoulder to ankle.  
  
Next came the hoops which completely baffled Kono. “I have no idea what to do with this,” she said as she emerged from the screen holding the hoops in her hand.  
  
“There is a learning curve,” Clara agreed, helping Kono step into the opening and then securing the top ring of sturdy leather around her waist. “Is that too tight?”  
  
“No, it’s fine,” Kono said, looking down at the bone rings that grew in diameter as they descended to the floor. “These are quite the contraption.”  
  
“They are,” Clara said ruefully. “Be very careful around flame. They are extremely flammable.”  
  
“So noted,” Kono said, raising her arms at Clara’s instruction so she could put the dress over Kono’s head.  
  
The dress Clara provided was a stunning rose pink which swept the floor when Kono had it on. Clara buttoned up the back, carefully threading the multiple pearl buttons to secure the dress on Kono’s slight frame. The dress had low and sloping shoulders, making Kono feel unusually self-conscious.  
  
“Perfect. It shows off your beautiful form perfectly,” Clara declared.  
  
Kono looked down at her exposed neck and clavicles, thinking in some ways it was more revealing than her bikinis.  
  
“Here,” Clara said, bringing Kono’s attention back to her. Clara was holding what looked like yards of gathered material in a pink rose just a shade darker than the dress. “This is the overskirt,” she explained, letting the bulk drape down the front and securing it in the back with eight tiny pearl buttons.  
  
“This weighs a ton,” Kono said, picking up her skirts. “How do women move in all this material?”  
  
“It takes some getting used to,” Clara agreed. “This is a day dress. The trunk we packed for you has evening dresses along with three more day dresses. These are your shoes.” She handed Kono a thankfully practical pair of flat boots, the lower portion made of soft black leather and the upper part the same pink as her dress. There were four sturdy pink buttons used to close the tops.  
  
“These are comfortable at least,” Kono said, looking at her feet, as much of them as she could see.  
  
“They are the right size?” Clara asked.  
  
“Perfect. How did you know?” Kono asked as she followed Clara to a floor length mirror.  
  
“The allineator took your measurements. I was able to find your outfits and shoes with little trouble.”  
  
Kono nodded, studying her reflection. “Do I look the part?”  
  
“I need to do your hair then you’ll be ready to wow the entire town,” Clara said, inviting her to have a seat before a couple of well lit mirrors.  
  
Kono struggled to situate all the layers of her dress, Clara helping her to perch precariously on the edge. “I’m guessing you have a generator for the lights.”  
  
“And the allenator,” Clara agreed, using a brush and several ribbons to style Kono’s hair in a complex upsweep that was very fetching on her. “You can wear a bonnet if you want. Or you can go without.”  
  
“Is one more appropriate?”  
  
“Fortunately, no. Either is fine,” Clara said, placing one last ribbon in Kono’s hair. “There.”  
  
“Wow,” Kono said, barely recognizing herself in the mirror.  
  
“You’ll need this wrap,” Clara said, draping a wool shawl around Kono’s shoulders. “It’s not as warm as an overcoat but you won’t be outside very long.”  
  
“It’s beautiful,” Kono said, feeling the softness of the eloquent wrap. “Getting dressed is a lot of work.”  
  
“It is,” Clara had to agree.  
  
“The guys think it takes me too long to get ready as it is. This is going to add a half hour, at least.”  
  
“They don’t have it so easy either,” Clara said, showing her the trunk of dresses that had been prepared. They were both glad the dress fit Kono so well which meant they wouldn’t have to find alternatives. “The men wear low, tightly cinched waists, with rounded chests and flared frock-coats that gave them a rather hour-glass figure. They also wear tight trousers which leave little to the imagination. Plus they wear waistcoats, with high upstanding collars and neckties tied around them. And then there are top hats.”  
  
“The necktie will make Danny happy,” Kono said as she practiced walking in her new shoes beneath the layers of silk that seemed ready to swallow her.  
  
“Their hair is a little short but they can say it’s trending in America.”  
  
“That’s true,” Kono said, taking one last glance at herself in the mirror. It seemed to be a stranger who looked back.  
  
“You ready to go see if they are dressed?” Clara asked, fluffing Kono’s skirts for her.  
  
“Sure,” Kono agreed, following Clara out, careful not to step on the other woman’s dress, or the hem of her own.  
  
“Wow,” Preston said before he remembered his manners. “You look spectacular, Officer.”  
  
“Thank you,” Kono said, executing a perfect curtsy in the way Clara had shown her. “Are the guys ready?”  
  
“I’m not sure. I think there may be a little self-consciousness going on,” Preston said. “The pants are quite…form fitting.”  
  
“Ahh,” Kono said, looking at the male sailor wearing the tight trousers. Few of his assets were hidden from view. He refused to fidget but it was a near thing. Kono let out a low whistle when Chin and Danny emerged from their closet with Jasper. “You guys clean up nice.”  
  
Chin tugged at the cravat tied around the standing collar trying to choke him. Danny’s cheeks were painted with a faint red tinge as he surveyed himself.  
  
“You look amazing,” Danny finally said when he was able to speak. “That dress was made for you.”  
  
“Thank you,” Kono said, looking down at it. “It weighs more than I do.”  
  
“My left leg weighs more than you do,” Danny said, making Kono laugh.  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
Clara gave each of them a silver bracelet that snapped securely around their wrists. “These are trackers. It’s how we know where you are,” she explained to their nods. “Guard them like your life depends on them.”  
  
“Roger that,” Chin agreed..  
  
“Are we ready to get this dog and pony show underway?” Danny asked, studying Chin and his on-going battle with his shirt. “You’re going to wilt, aren’t you?”  
  
“Quite possibly,” Chin said, finally giving up and standing still. “You do look stunning, Cuz.”  
  
“Thank you,” Kono said. “This is a day dress. I can hardly imagine what the evening dresses look like.”  
  
“It will be interesting,” Danny said.  
  
“The coach is right outside,” Preston said when he’d returned to the chamber. He passed out pouches of money which also held their American passports. “I’ll accompany you to the boarding house, make the introductions, then I’ll have to leave you.”  
  
“Right, right,” Danny said, picking up the trunk he’d been provided. Chin had a matching one of leather and sturdy straps. Kono attempted to pick up hers but she couldn’t manage.  
  
“I’ll get that, ma’am,” Preston said, hefting her trunk for her. Her inclination was to protest but she could barely budge it. Trying to wrestle the trunk and her dress would be impossible. At any rate, a woman in their current century would not be expected to carry a trunk of her own clothes, even if she were capable.  
  
They followed him out of the chamber, emerging onto a sunny street behind a fire house.  
  
“Do you always use fire houses?” Chin asked as they rounded the brick building.  
  
“They are convenient and ubiquitous. Plus they are almost never unoccupied which discourages uninvited guests,” Preston explained. Before the firehouse was a coach with the two horses tied up to a railing, a sturdy looking man sitting in the driver’s seat. He clambered down when they approached, helping Preston, Danny, and Chin lash the trunks to the rack at the back. “That’s everything,” Preston said to the man who nodded. The coachman opened the door and helped Kono inside, ready to lend a hand to the men if they required it.  
  
Chin and Danny had some trouble climbing the three steps in their tight trousers, but finally were inside. Kono and her dress were taking up much of the seat on the right. There was just enough room for Danny to squeeze in with her. Chin and Preston sat across from them, top hats in their laps.  
  
“Do we have a cover story?” Danny asked as the coach set off with a small jerk.  
  
“Americans visiting Edinburgh,” Preston said. “I used your real names on the passports. It makes things easier although yours will probably raise some eyebrows,” he said to Kono.  
  
“I suppose it will,” she said with a casual shrug of her nearly bare shoulder, her wrap over her elbows.  
  
“Are we independently wealthy then?” Danny asked.  
  
“Yes,” Preston agreed. “We provided you enough money that you will be able to travel with no concerns.”  
  
“Where was Steve last seen?” Chin asked.  
  
“He was staying in the boarding house where I reserved your rooms. It’s in an upscale part of town so you don’t need to worry about personal safety.”  
  
“Is the coachman from here or from the Navy?” Kono asked.  
  
“From here. But we use his services quite often. He’s learned not to ask too many questions. We also pay him enough to ensure his silence,” Preston said.  
  
“Does he know anything about Steve’s disappearance?” Danny asked.  
  
“He was supposed to pick him up. When Commander McGarrett didn’t come down to the coach, Stewart went up to his room. That’s when we discovered he’d disappeared.”  
  
“What was Steve’s mission?” Danny asked, swaying with the coach as it rattled over the bumpy roads.  
  
“I don’t know,” Preston said honestly. “He got his orders in Hawaii. We met him and provided his effects. I didn’t see him after I accompanied him to the boarding house.”  
  
“These bracelets,” Chin said. “He had one, right?”  
  
“He did. Does. It isn’t transmitting but there is a signal activated if the wearer dies,” Preston said.  
  
“If it isn’t transmitting, couldn’t that mean we’re already too late?” Kono asked, not glancing over at Danny.  
  
“We think he’s still wearing it,” Preston said. “If someone had gotten it off of his wrist, we’d have been notified.”  
  
“What would cause it to stop transmitting?” Chin asked, studying the band around his own arm. It looked like a plain circlet of silver with no electronic circuitry as far as he could determine.  
  
“If he is far enough underground. If he was taken to another time,” Preston said. “They are calibrated to here and now.”  
  
“So if he was abducted and taken to, say, 1700, you wouldn’t know?” Danny asked.  
  
“It’s highly unlikely that he left this time period,” Preston said. “We monitor all allineator activity. None have been activated in the time he’s been here.”  
  
“Even the ones that belong to the rogues?” Danny asked.  
  
“We have a bead on them as well,” Preston said. “Not precise enough to find and destroy them but with enough accuracy to know when they are used.”  
  
Danny sighed and looked out his window on the dreary day. They were going away from town, entering a neighborhood that was lined with bare trees, stately homes barely visible through the huge trees trunks. “What is today here?”  
  
“It’s December 19 at 11:23,” Preston said.  
  
Danny nodded, taking out the silver pocket watch he’d been provided. It read 11:23 just as Preston said. “Once we find Steve, we’ll come back to the fire station?”  
  
“Yes,” Preston said. “Someone will be there even if it’s not one of us.”  
  
“Good,” Danny said, looking once more out the window as the coach slowed and they turned onto a narrow road. It was next to a formal garden, sculpted bushes depicting giant rabbits and ostriches. “Is this owned by an eccentric?”  
  
“The owner has his definite ideas of style,” Preston said. “He has an opinion on every subject and isn’t shy about sharing them.”  
  
“Sounds like someone we know,” Kono teased, elbowing Danny in the side.  
  
“Sure,” Danny said with a shrug. She knew he was too worried about Steve to rise to the bait. She wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be all right but it didn’t feel appropriate to do so in front of Preston.  
  
When the coach came to a stop, Preston opened the door, leaving unaided. He held out a hand to Danny who reluctantly accepted his help. He’d get used to being in such restrictive clothes. It’d just take a while. Chin emerged next, turning to help Kono out. He lifted her from the coach to the ground, ensuring she wouldn’t miss the steps. She would have protested but in all honesty, she wasn’t sure she could have negotiated the steps by herself.  
  
“Wow,” Kono said when they looked up at the manor house before them. It was four stories tall, columns out front creating a room sized portico. There were a dozen marble stairs that led up to it, elaborate handrails spaced widely apart. “This is a boarding house?”  
  
“For the well-to-do who don’t want to mingle with the riff-raff at the hotels,” Preston explained, taking down Kono’s trunk as Stewart accepted Danny and Chin’s. The men thought to protest but knew having the coachmen carry their luggage was appropriate.  
  
Preston led them up the steps and into the door that had been opened by a butler wearing a high double-breasted black waistcoat, salt and pepper trousers, a black tie, and a black dress coat. He seemed to be looking down his nose at the new arrivals, never a welcome sign.  
  
“Johnstone,” Preston said. “These are the guests I informed MacClelland would be arriving.”  
  
“Very good sir,” Johnstone said, signaling to another man a few steps further inside the foyer. “Sinclair, see to their luggage.”  
  
The other man inclined his head to indicate he had heard, moving closer to accept the three trunks, hauling them toward a door that stood open. The luggage dispatched, Stewart quietly returned to the coach to wait for Preston.  
  
Inside the room was a large man standing next to a tall table, smoking a pipe, and reading a newspaper. He wore a kilt of red and blue tartan with a black waistcoat that stopped at the top of the kilt. His ample red hair curled around his face, merging with his thick beard. There was grey sprinkled liberally throughout his hair and beard. Kono guessed he was in his late fifties but it was only a guess.  
  
“Sir,” Preston said, attracting the other man’s attention.  
  
“Ahh… you’ve returned as you said you would,” MacClelland said in a booming voice with an thick Scottish accent. “This is our American guest?” He was studying Danny, looking him up and down before nodding once. “And these are your servants.”  
  
“My servants?” Danny said, looking over at Chin and Kono who kept their expressions entirely neutral. “They are not servants,” Danny said firmly.  
  
“You failed to inform us that you were bringing coolies to stay at MacClelland Manor,” the Scotsman sneered to Preston.  
  
“I’ll have you know that this is my sister and my brother,” Danny informed him with growing anger.  
  
“Your brother and sister?” MacClelland scoffed. “From China?”  
  
“We aren’t Chinese,” Kono said, moving closer to Danny. “I am his sister, just as he said.”  
  
“And I’m his brother,” Chin added, challenging MacClelland silently to contradict their words.  
  
He looked surprised that they spoke English and had understood what was being said. “Clearly you are not related,” he said trying to regain the high ground.  
  
“According to whom?” Danny demanded. “Siblings from different fathers.”  
  
“Missionaries?” MacClelland asked in dismissal.  
  
“Oil baron,” Danny said. “And gold prospector.”  
  
MacClelland raised a shaggy imperial eyebrow at that. “You vouch for them?” he finally asked Preston.  
  
“I have no need to,” Preston said. “They are all American visitors, just as I informed you.”  
  
MacClelland continued to look displeased and doubtful but finally reached onto a heavy bookcase behind him and extracted a leather bound volume. “Sign here,” he said, indicating three blank lines. He handed them a fountain pen that they each dipped into an ink pot before signing their names. Danny’s stomach momentarily clinched when he saw that Steve had signed further up the page three days ago.  
  
“We have heard that you have another American visitor,” Chin said casually after signing the ledger. “By the name of McGarrett.”  
  
“McGarrett,” MacClelland said as he considered the name.  
  
“Tall. Dark hair. Beautiful eyes,” Kono said with a fluttering of her eyelashes.  
  
“Yes, Steven McGarrett,” MacClelland confirmed, not immune to Kono’s beauty even if he considered her an undesirable foreigner.  
  
“Is he here? I’d love to renew our…friendship,” Kono purred, leaning a little closer to the older man.  
  
“He was staying here,” MacClelland said. “Haven’t seen him in two days.”  
  
“Oh,” Kono said with a pout. “I was so looking forward to spending time with him.”  
  
“If I see him, I’ll let him know you are asking after him,” MacClelland said. He told them the amount of the rooms for each night, Danny paying for all three of them for four nights. He very much hoped they wouldn’t be there that long but it was better that they retained their accommodations until they knew. He accepted the three heavy brass keys, trying to rein in his impatience to start their search. “Sinclair will show you to your rooms. Lunch is at 1:00. Tea at 4:00. Dinner at 8:00. Inform us if you plan to be absent for any meals, excepting breakfast. It is a more casual service.”  
  
They all agreed to keep the manor informed before bidding Preston farewell. He promised to stop by as often as he could, assuring them that word would be sent if there were any developments. That done, the three followed Sinclair up one flight of stairs as he trudged under the weight of their luggage. He stopped at the first door, taking one of the keys from Danny. He unlocked and opened the door to a large, stately room dominated by a four poster bed. The mattress was covered with a blue silk damask comforter that looked capable of keeping the occupant warm on the coldest of Scottish nights.  
  
He showed them the features of the room, lighting a fire to chase away the chill. That done, he proceeded down the hall to show Chin and Kono their rooms, equally as grand as Danny’s. Kono chose the room with the pink comforter and the windows that overlooked the formal gardens in the front. Chin was fine with the room across the hall from hers, a smaller bed that was accompanied by three overstuffed chairs in front of the fireplace.  
  
Sinclair showed them the bell pulls if they should need anything brought up to them. “We have a chambermaid to see to your lady’s needs.”  
  
“Thank you,” Kono said, watching with the men as Sinclair left down the wide, curving stairwell. In silent consent, they all remained in Chin’s room, closing and locking the door.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Danny said when they were seated in front of the fire. Actually, Danny and Chin were seated. Kono was perched on the edge, wrestling with the hoops.  
  
“How the hell do you sit in these?” Kono protested.  
  
“You managed in the coach,” Chin said.  
  
“Stewart helped me. We’ve got to find Steve and get home,” Kono said impatiently.  
  
“What are you sorry for?” Chin said. “We knew it would happen.”  
  
“You still don’t deserve having racial slurs thrown at you,” Danny said.  
  
“It’s not like it’s the first time it’s happened,” Chin pointed.  
  
“We encounter it even in Hawaii,” Kono said, shifting to try and get the hoops within the confines of the arms of the chair. “And it’s not like you aren’t still called _haole_.”  
  
“That feels different,” Danny said. “Less…offensive.”  
  
“We aren’t offended,” Kono said. “I mean, we are. But this isn’t home. How many Asians do you think they’ve seen in their lives?”  
  
“I guess,” Danny said still dissatisfied with their treatment. But they had been warned that it would happen. “According to the ledger, Steve was staying in room 13. That must be an attic room.”  
  
“I read that too,” Chin said. “I think I saw a back stairway further down the corridor.”  
  
“Right,” Danny said, standing. “Do you need help getting out of the chair?” he asked Kono, trying not to laugh at her struggle to stand.  
  
“I can still kick your ass in this dress,” she warned as she awkwardly stood.  
  
“I’d never doubt it,” he assured her.  
  
Chin was at the door, checking the hallway. When he gave the all clear, they went out and down the corridor to a narrow stairway that they assumed was generally used by the servants.  
  
“Makes sense since they think we are,” Kono said, squeezing her skirts between the narrow walls of the steps. She had rarely felt so ungainly.  
  
“Wait,” Danny said, slowly going into the hallway at the top of the second flight of steps. “All clear.”  
  
They went down the short corridor to the door at the end, the only door on the floor. Chin knelt in front of the wooden door after trying the knob and finding it locked.  
  
“Do you have any bobby pins in your hair?” he asked Kono, looking up at her.  
  
“No. Just ribbons,” Kono said.  
  
“Any pins?” Chin asked Danny.  
  
“Mmm…” Danny opened his waistcoat, studying his clothing. “Here,” he finally said, handing Chin the cigar cutter Jasper had given him. Jasper has said he should carry it even if he didn’t smoke. It was what was expected.  
  
“This should work,” Chin agreed, poking the cutter into the keyhole. After a few minutes of patient maneuvering, the lock disengaged with a satisfying snick.  
  
They entered what had been Steve’s room, not surprised to find it immaculate. The double bed was made in the best military fashion, none of them doubting that a quarter would bounce off the blue silk comforter.  
  
“These must be his,” Chin said when he opened the clothes press to find three suits and an evening jacket.  
  
“Have to be,” Kono agreed. She looked over her shoulder at where Danny stood next to the bed, one of the pillows in his hands. He held it close to his nose, inhaling its scent.  
  
“Has he been here recently?” Chin asked in as gentle a tone as possible.  
  
“Yes,” Danny said. “It hasn’t been two days like MacClelland claimed.”  
  
“Did he sleep here last night?” Chin asked.  
  
“Then why can’t the Navy find him?” Kono asked at the same time.  
  
“He didn’t sleep here last night. And I’m wondering the same thing about the Navy,” Danny said, replacing the pillow. “We need to search every inch of this room to see if we can find any hints of where he’s gone.”  
  
They began a methodical search, careful to keep everything tidy and in order. Kono was checking Steve’s shoes when she heard a soft crinkling sound from underneath one of them. “Guys,” she said, holding out the folded square of browned paper.  
  
“What does it say?” Danny asked, coming over to her.  
  
“’17 December. Mission complete’,” she read, showing it to Danny. “This is Steve’s handwriting.”  
  
“’16 December. Target acquired’,” Chin read.  
  
“Nothing for yesterday,” Danny said, turning the paper over to double check.  
  
“Why would he have written these memos to himself?” Kono asked. “Even a control freak like Steve wouldn’t need to be reminded that he’d done is job.”  
  
“Unless he left it for Preston,” Danny said. “Or us.”  
  
“You think he knew he was in trouble?” Kono asked.  
  
“Keep looking. Maybe he left a final note,” Danny urged, taking everything out of the clothes press and searching every pocket and fold. Kono was squatting beneath his position, checking the shoes. There were six pairs of them, all in Steve’s size. That seemed excessive. She only had three pair and she was expected to change clothes every time the clock moved.  
  
“Here,” Kono said, taking out the last shoe. She took out the folded square, carefully opening it. “’18 December. Operative sighted. Evasion begun.’ Oh great,” Kono said, watching Danny carefully.  
  
“Why didn’t he just come home?” Danny wondered aloud. “Unless he was afraid they’d come too.”  
  
“He disappeared to distract them,” Chin said, only guessing but sounding much surer than that.  
  
“It must be rogues,” Kono speculated. “Otherwise how would they know who Steve is?”  
  
“All right,” Danny said, sitting on one of the chairs under the eaves. The ceiling at the edges of the room would have been too low for Steve but they didn’t pose much of a problem for Danny. “He said that the original rogues worked for Hitler. For a start, let’s assume that these are German as well. Where would Germans in Edinburgh congregate?”  
  
“That’s a really good question,” Chin said. “Too bad we can’t Google it.”  
  
“Damn straight,” Kono agreed. “And we don’t know who we can trust.”  
  
“What day of the week is it?” Chin asked, knowing the others didn’t know any more than he did.  
  
“MacClellan was reading a Sunday paper. Do you think today’s Sunday?” Danny asked.  
  
“Lutheran Church,” Chin and Kono said at the same time.  
  
“We need to find the closest one,” Danny agreed. “But who should we ask?”  
  
“Let’s go downstairs and act like it’s no big deal,” Kono suggested, tucking the three notes into her bodice. “Well,” she shrugged. “No one will look for them there.”  
  
“True,” Chin agreed, following Danny and Kono out of Steve’s room, pausing long enough to relock the door.  
  
When they reached the lobby, they found Sinclair polishing the banister that led upstairs. “Excuse,” Kono said in her most flirtatious tone. “Can you tell me if there is a Lutheran Church near here?”  
  
“A Lutheran Church?” Sinclair repeated, his eyes straying down to the top of Kono’s dress. Danny took a proprietary step closer, Sinclair eyes immediately returning to meet Kono’s. “Next block. Turn left at the end of the drive.”  
  
“Thank you,” Kono said with a brisk nod, turning with the guys to leave the Manor. “Your shoes okay for the walk?” she felt compelled to ask.  
  
“Mine fit perfectly,” Chin said, seeming to marvel at the idea.  
  
“Mine too,” Danny said. “I wonder if there is anything about us they don’t know.”  
  
“Clara said the allineator took our measurements,” Kono said as they walked purposefully up the long drive.  
  
“Oh,” Danny said, having nothing to add to that.  
  
“What if we don’t find out anything at the Lutheran Church?” Chin asked as they passed a particularly large rabbit hedge.  
  
“I have no idea,” Danny said. “But we have to start somewhere. This makes as much sense as anything else.”  
  
“Wouldn’t the Navy know the rogues are German?” Kono asked, pulling her wrap up further on her shoulders.  
  
“Are you cold?” Danny asked in concern, realizing that it was quite chilly out.  
  
“A little. I’ll be fine. We can take a coach back,” she assured him.  
  
“The Navy must know about the Germans,” Chin agreed. “But they couldn’t undertake a full scale search since Steve isn’t officially here.”  
  
“Right,” Kono said, turning with them at the corner to start down the more traveled road. The cobblestones made for uneven walking but they managed with a minimum of stumbling.  
  
“Think that’s it?” Chin asked when they saw a rising steeple over a small ridge.  
  
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Danny said as they approached the stone church. _First Lutheran Church of Edinburgh, est. 1803_ confirmed the sign out front.  
  
“Now what?” Kono asked, looking up and down the lane, few people out, no one paying any attention to the three of them.  
  
“It says worship is until 12:25,” Danny said. “It’s 11:50 now. Let’s go in.”  
  
They agreed, entering the vestibule as quietly as possible, careful not to let the heavy wooden door slam behind them.  
  
“Steps to the balcony,” Danny said, nodding toward a staircase partially hidden by a stone wall to their right. They went up the steps as quickly and quietly as they could, emerging onto the balcony that extended over the back fourth of the sanctuary. There were only a handful of people scattered in the pews up in the balcony. A couple of the men frowned at the sight of the three of them, although Kono suspected she and Chin were the main focus of their unhappiness.  
  
They went to the very front of the balcony, sitting on the front pew. Kono perched on the edge as well as she could, once again hating the dress she was shrouded in.  
  
“Anything?” she whispered to Chin when she’d finally wrestled her dress under control.  
  
“Not yet,” he whispered back, intently studying the people they could see below them.  
  
The minister was full into his sermon, admonishing his congregants to remember that Jesus had said _A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another._  
  
“Think the minister would feel that way if he met us?” Kono whispered to Danny.  
  
“Right?” Danny said as he continued to study the congregation. “There,” he said, gesturing toward a group of men half way to the back of the sanctuary, paying no attention to the sermon. Two were in one pew turned to talk to three black clad men behind them. Their determined expressions and body language spoke of their inattention to anything going on around them.  
  
“Okay,” Chin said with a nod. He paused, deciphering what the minister was saying in his German tinged Scottish accent. “He sounds like he’s coming to his crescendo.”  
  
“Once he’s finished, there will be the hymn of the day, the creed, and prayers with congregation response,” Danny said, glancing over at the startled expression on Chin and Kono’s faces. “What? I’m not a complete heathen.”  
  
“You’re not Lutheran either,” Kono pointed out.  
  
Danny shrugged at that, looking back down at the five men they were going to target. “We’ll need to follow them when they leave. If they split up, we will too. And we’ll meet back at the Manor at 1:30.”  
  
“Right,” Chin said, taking out his pocket watch to double check the time.  
  
“I don’t have a watch,” Kono said. “For all the material in this dress, there are no pockets.”  
  
“There are clocks on churches and banks,” Danny said. “We passed several on our way through town.”  
  
“We aren’t armed,” Chin said.  
  
“Do not engage,” Danny said firmly. “Follow and report.” He considered his words for a few minutes before making a decision. “Kono, you need to come with me.” He held up a hand to forestall her coming protests. “I know you can take care of yourself. That’s never in doubt. But this is 1845 Edinburgh Scotland. Women don’t go wondering in town by themselves.”  
  
Kono frowned and was ready to protest when Chin interrupted her.  
  
“He’s right, Cuz. You need to stay with him.”  
  
“Plus there’s the fact that you are Hawaiian,” Danny said as diplomatically as possible. “Chin is going to attract enough attention but less than a beautiful woman unescorted out on the street.”  
  
“Fine,” she sighed, unable to argue with the logic of their argument. “But if there are fisticuffs involved, I’m beating the crap out of them.”  
  
“Fine,” Danny agreed. “They’re leaving.” That prompted the three of them to stand and quickly leave the balcony. Danny waited at the opening of the stairs into the vestibule, looking for signs of the five men. It didn’t take long for them to leave the sanctuary, Danny backing up several steps to avoid detection.  
  
When they heard the front door of the church close, they left the stairway and exited the church. Once outside, they remained on the top step closest to the church. The five men were on the street, having a last quiet conversation. Two of the men turned toward town, three of them going the opposite direction, taking the road that would lead to the docks.  
  
“We’ll follow those,” Danny said, nodding toward the three headed downhill toward the Leith district docks. “You take those two,” he said to Chin.  
  
“Roger that. See you at the Manor at 1:30 if not before,” Chin said, placing his top hat on his head before strolling at a leisurely pace after his targets.  
  
Danny put on his top hat, holding his elbow out to Kono. She accepted his offer, trying to look as casual as possible.  
  
“What if they are just Scottish guys going about their business?” Kono asked as they strolled down the hill on the cobblestone street.  
  
“Do they look like ordinary guys to you?” Danny asked.  
  
“No,” Kono admitted. “I can’t say why but they don’t look like they belong.”  
  
“My thoughts exactly,” Danny agreed. “I doubt we look like we belong either.”  
  
“You blend in much more than me or Chin,” she reminded him, lifting her skirts to step over a puddle.  
  
“Are you cold? I forgot you are wearing far fewer clothes than I am,” Danny said in concern.  
  
“The walk is helping,” she said. In truth, she was so worried about Steve that it could have been snowing and she would have barely felt it.  
  
“All right,” Danny said.  
  
Kono glanced over at him before moving closer to him. “We’re going to find him, I promise.”  
  
Danny nodded, trying to hide the concern he was feeling. “He’s a survivor if nothing else.”  
  
“Exactly,” Kono said, returning her focus to their targets. The three men made a sharp right turn down a narrow alley, Danny and Kono hanging back. “Think they spotted us?”  
  
“Possibly,” Danny said, walking past the opening to the alley without looking down it. Just past the stone building that made up one side of the narrow opening was a walkway with steps leading down to the actual dock. “Let’s go this way.”  
  
She nodded, carefully negotiating the steep steps. Danny followed close behind, knowing there was very little help he could render if she were to slip.  
  
At the bottom of the steps was the wide wooden dock, a tall ship moored twenty yards further down. The sails were furled to the spar as the boat bobbed with the waves. They were the only people around, seagulls riding the currents far above their heads.  
  
“That ship,” Kono said, staring at it. “There’s something familiar about it.”  
  
“Huh,” Danny said as they walked toward it. “Yeah, there is something….”  
  
“What are you doing?” one of the men they had been following demanded. He was behind them, his expression unhappy, his body language threatening. The other two men were behind him, staring at Danny and Kono. He spoke English accented with German, confirming that they were suspects in Steve’s disappearance.  
  
“Enjoying this beautiful day,” Danny said smoothly, keeping a wary eye on all three men. Kono had tensed next to him but she remained outwardly unruffled.  
  
“You’re not from Edinburgh,” the man said in accusation, giving Kono a once-over twice.  
  
“Neither are you,” Kono responded, her tone firm.  
  
“Who are you?” the man asked, taking a menacing step closer.  
  
“Tourists,” Danny claimed, not backing up from the threat.  
  
“Tourists,” the man sneered. “Interlopers more like.”  
  
“This is a public dock,” Kono said. “We have as much business here as you.”  
  
The spokesman stared at the two of them before looking over his shoulder to bark orders at the other two men.  
  
Danny understood just enough German to know that things were about to get ugly. “You sure you can kick ass in that dress?” he whispered out of the side of his mouth.  
  
“Totally,” she said, dropping his arm and taking a step sideways away from him. That’s when the three men launched themselves at Danny and Kono. If they thought they were in for an easy time of it, there were entirely mistaken. Even encumbered as she was by the dress, Kono had her attacker down with two swift kicks and an arm wrenched up and out of his socket. With a hard shove, he was floundering in the water, trying to stay afloat using his uninjured arm.  
  
With him taken care of, Kono dispatched one of Danny’s attackers as Danny subdued the second one.  
  
“I think that confirms what we suspected,” Kono said, looking down at the two unconscious attackers.  
  
“He has to be close,” Danny agreed, taking her hand and going down the dock toward the ship.  
  
“This is the ship in Steve’s office,” Kono said, looking up at it.  
  
“What ship? He has a battleship in the case.”  
  
“The painting,” Kono said. “The ship under full sail. It’s this one.”  
  
“You’re right,” Danny agreed, looking up at it with fresh eyes. “Okay. How do we get on board?”  
  
Kono’s reply was delayed by the sight of Chin running down the dock toward them.  
  
“You okay?” he asked them when he came to a stop, breathing hard.  
  
“We are now. What about you?” Kono asked, studying him carefully.  
  
“The two I was following confronted me, wanting to know if I was going to the dock too. I got rid of them and here I am,” Chin said, looking over his shoulder at the two men still laying on the dock. “I take it they confronted you.”  
  
“They did, briefly,” Danny said. “Kono can kick ass in that dress.”  
  
“We were about to board this ship,” Kono told Chin. “It’s the one in the picture in Steve’s office.”  
  
“It sure is,” Chin agreed. “How are we getting aboard?”  
  
“We haven’t figured that out just yet,” Danny said. “How do they get on and off without a gangplank?”  
  
“We can use the rope keeping it tied here,” Chin suggested, pointing at the rope bigger around than his wrist. “I can go aboard and find the gangplank.”  
  
“You sure you can get to the ship?” Kono asked, eyeing the distance from the dock to the where the rope was secured to the deck of the ship.  
  
“Absolutely,” Chin said, handing Kono his hat. With that, he grabbed the rope and hand over hand pulled himself up toward the ship. His ankles were crossed over the top, ensuring his stability.  
  
It took him less than five minutes to reach the deck of the ship, where he awkwardly scrambled aboard. That there was no one on the deck made his work easier. He found the gangplank and managed to wrestle it in place, extending it from the ship to the dock. Danny and Kono got it in place on the dock before carefully going up to the ship. Danny didn’t relish the idea of falling into the cold water and made sure to keep his balance on the way.  
  
“Why isn’t it guarded?” Kono wondered out loud as Danny and Chin pulled the plank back up.  
  
“Because no one should be able to get on board,” Danny said, going to the wooden door that would lead below decks. “You two watch for our German friends. I’m going to find Steve.”  
  
“Right,” Chin agreed, climbing the steps onto the forecastle so he could have an unobstructed view of the dock. Kono remained on the main deck, watching where they had left the Germans who remained unmoving.  
  
Danny waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the ship, listening carefully. He could hear the water lapping against the wooden hull but little else. “Steve?” he called, hoping for a positive response. “Steve?” He followed the narrow corridor, taking another set of steps deeper into the ship. “Steve?”  
  
“Danny?” a wonderfully familiar voice croaked back.  
  
“Steve,” Danny said, sprinting toward the location of the voice. “Steve, are you okay? Where are you?”  
  
“Keep coming,” Steve responded. “I’m in the aft, the back.”  
  
“I know aft is back,” Danny said, rounding a corner and coming to an abrupt stop. There was Steve, behind metal bars in the brig, his clothes dirty and a little tattered. He had a seriously black eye but otherwise looked unharmed. Danny had never seen a more beautiful sight than Steve in his too tight pants and his black waistcoat.” Are you okay?” Danny asked, reaching through the bars to touch, to feel for himself that Steve was right there and alive.  
  
“I’m fine, babe. I figured it was only a matter of time before you got here,” Steve said with a full smile that warmed Danny’s heart.  
  
“Chin and Kono are topside,” Danny said, examining the door. “How am I going to get you out of here?”  
  
“Chin and Kono are here?” Steve asked.  
  
“Of course they are,” Danny said. “Any ideas on how to get this door open?”  
  
“You shouldn’t have let them come,” Steve said. “They…”  
  
“ _Let them,”_ Danny scoffed. “Have you _ever_ stopped them from doing what they’ve decided they are going to do?”  
  
“Point taken,” Steve said. “Do you have anything on you I can use to pick this lock?”  
  
Danny reached in for the cigar cutter. “Chin picked the lock on your door at the manor with this.”  
  
“You’re staying at MacClelland Manor too?” Steve asked.  
  
“We have rooms. We won’t be using them now that we’ve found you,” Danny said, watching Steve where he knelt eye level to the lock.  
  
“We have to find the rogue’s presidium. That’s where we’ll find their allineator.”  
  
“Great,” Danny said. “How did they get you in here?”  
  
“They drugged me,” Steve said. “I was eating at the Manor and the next thing I knew, I was waking up here.”  
  
“Is MacClelland in on this?”  
  
“Possibly,” Steve said. “I checked the Manor grounds and building but didn’t see any signs of an allineator. That doesn’t mean MacClelland doesn’t know where it is. How did he react to you and the cousins?”  
  
“He called Kono and Chin my servants, then he called them coolies,” Danny said in disgust.  
  
“Maybe he is from this time,” Steve said.  
  
“Danny?” Kono’s voice called.  
  
“In the aft,” Danny called back. “Waiting for Steve to break himself out of the cell.”  
  
“Brig,” Steve said.  
  
“Brig,” Danny repeated loudly.  
  
“We’re about to have company,” Kono said, rounding the corner to where they were. “It sure is good to see you.”  
  
“You too,” Steve said with a lopsided smile. “Nice dress.”  
  
“She can kick ass in it,” Danny warned.  
  
“Work faster,” Kono urged, glancing over her shoulder.  
  
“Go on up,” Steve said. “I’ll be out in a minute.”  
  
Danny nodded, taking Kono’s hand and leading her back up and out. “One of the Germans is trying to climb the rope like Chin did,” Kono explained as they rushed up top as quickly as her dress would allow.  
  
“How many are there?”  
  
“Three. The one climbing is the only one I recognize from the church,” she said as they exited onto the dock. They found Chin working to untie the rope the German was scaling. “How much longer?”  
  
“Almost done,” Chin said, getting the knot undone and throwing it into the water. The German landed with a satisfying splash. “You find Steve?”  
  
“He should be here any minute,” Danny said, looking toward the door that led below decks. “What are the other Germans waiting for?” he asked, looking over the side at the two men dressed in black engaged in an intense discussion.  
  
“No idea,” Chin said, looking over his shoulder as Steve emerged. “Good to see you, _brah_.”  
  
“You too,” Steve said, hugging the cousins before hugging Danny a little tighter and a little longer. “What’s our status?”  
  
They explained about the newly arrived German in the water and the two still on the dock. Steve peered over the side, nodding.  
  
“That taller man is the one I was hunting for,” Steve said.  
  
“Admiral Wallin told us you’d completed your mission,” Danny said, studying the German who was the root of all this trouble.  
  
“Koenigsmann wasn’t my original mission,” Steve explained. “He was following me. I’m pretty sure he’s the one who had me kidnapped. I think he’s in charge of the rogue’s allineator here.”  
  
“What are they waiting for?” Kono asked as she had done earlier.  
  
“More muscle,” Steve said. “You’ve already dispatched…how many of his henchmen?”  
  
“Right,” Kono said. “What are we going to do? Are there guns on board?”  
  
“In the armory,” Steve said, turning to go back below deck. “Kono, you and Chin stay here. Danny and I will go for the guns.”  
  
“Roger that,” Chin agreed.  
  
As soon as Steve and Danny were one flight below deck, Steve pulled Danny to him and kissed him. “I missed you.”  
  
“I guessed,” Danny said, reaching up for another kiss. “And we’ll have a proper reunion just as soon as we are back in our century.”  
  
“Check,” Steve said, leading Danny down a corridor he hadn’t seen before. They passed several closed doors, Steve stopping at one that looked reinforced.  
  
“Whose boat is this?” Danny asked as Steve began picking the lock.  
  
“Koenigsmann I think,” Steve said.  
  
“Is he from this century?”  
  
“I don’t think so. I don’t think he’s from our decade either.”  
  
“When is he from?” Danny asked.  
  
“I don’t know,” Steve said. “I’d guess the early 1900s but it’s just a guess.”  
  
“Before World War I?” Danny asked.  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said, shouldering the unlocked door open. “They won’t be as modern as our weapons….” He stopped when they were fully inside, unable to believe the armaments arrayed before them. “Never mind,” he said, picking up a Heckler  & Koch MP7A1 as Danny chose his customary SIG Pro SP2022. Steve also took a Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun for Chin as Danny picked up a Mark 18 Mod 1 rifle for Kono.  
  
“Are they planning to start their own war?” Danny asked. “And where did they get all these weapons? Look, there’s a Venpax QV-901 drone.”  
  
“I have no idea,” Steve said. “We need to get word to Preston.”  
  
“I’ll say,” Danny agreed, following Steve back up top. “Won’t they come find you now that your tracker is above water?”  
  
“Hopefully,” Steve said as they emerged back on the dock.  
  
They passed over the guns, shooting at the men on the dock, not trying to kill them as much as send a message. Steve reminded them that they needed at least Koenigsmann alive in order to find the presidium. Kono really wanted to kill him but Steve asked her nicely to let him live. By the time they had stopped arguing about it, the Germans had abandoned the dock and run up toward town as fast as they could.  
  
“We’ve got to follow,” Steve said, helping Danny put the gangplank back in place. They traded their rifles for much more easily concealed handguns, Kono hiding hers in a lacy pink garter.  
  
“Should these guns work in this time?” Chin asked as Kono made her careful way down the gangplank, Danny following.  
  
“I don’t know,” Steve said. “There’s a drone in the armory. How can it work with no electronics?”  
  
“Makes no sense,” Chin said. “Can you take guns with you when you time travel?”  
  
“No,” Steve said. “I have to get one when I arrive. They shouldn’t be able to take them through the allineator.”  
  
Chin didn’t have time to reply as it was his turn to leave the boat. Steve was right behind him, joining Danny and Kono on the dock.  
  
“Chin, you and Kono need to go tell Preston what we’ve discovered. The Navy needs to handle the arms on the boat. Danny and I will follow Koenigsmann.”  
  
“You can’t take on all the Germans,” Kono protested.  
  
“We won’t,” Steve said trying to sound sincere in his promise. “Once we find the presidium, we’ll tell Preston.”  
  
Danny rolled his eyes but didn’t contradict Steve. Of course he’d follow Steve into any trouble he could find. And since he was a trouble magnet, such was Danny’s lot in life.  
  
“Chin can go to the allineator. I need to come with you,” Kono said.  
  
“Frankly, we can move quicker without so much…fashion,” Steve said.  
  
“I hate this century,” Kono protested.  
  
“We need to go or we’ll never find Koenigsmann,” Danny said.  
  
“Roger that. We’ll meet you back at the Manor at 14:50,” Steve said.  
  
“Can’t you say 2:30 like a normal person?” Danny protested, leaving the dock with Steve to go in the direction of the Germans.  
  
“I am a normal person,” Steve returned, breaking into a jog.  
  
“I have documented proof to contradict that claim,” Danny informed him, keeping up with Steve’s pace. “Hold up,” Danny said, a hand on Steve’s arm. “Do you hear that?”  
  
There were faint words coming from the road ahead of them, past where it curved out of sight. A stone building to their left blocked the view of the road and the men occupying it.  
  
“Is that German?” Danny asked, straining to hear.  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said, creeping forward and remaining close to the building. He carefully peered around the corner, pulling back immediately. “It’s Koenigsmann with five more men.”  
  
“What are we going to do?”  
  
“I have the feeling they know we are following them,” Steve said.  
  
“Which means they won’t go to the presidium,” Danny finished.  
  
“Let’s go to the Navy allineator. Alert Preston and meet Chin and Kono.”  
  
“Go idea,” Danny said, looking around where they were standing. “Except I have no idea where we are.”  
  
“We’ll back track one block, turn left and go up until we’re in town. We’ll find a coach there,” Steve said, turning to go back the way they had come.  
  
“Does this mean we can go home?” Danny asked. “Since it’s about to be an official Army problem?”  
  
“Depends on what the _Navy_ wants me to do,” Steve said.  
  
“Wants _us_ to do,” Danny corrected. “The subject is closed,” he said when Steve tried to protest. “We aren’t leaving until you come with us.”  
  
“All right,” Steve said. But Danny had the feeling that the argument wasn’t really over.  
  
Once they were back on the main streets of Edinburgh, they found a coach to take them to the firehouse.  
  
“That boat you were on,” Danny said when they were settled in the coach.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“It’s the one in the picture in your office,” Danny said.  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said reluctantly.  
  
“You want to explain that?” Danny asked.  
  
“This isn’t the first time I’ve been on it,” Steve said. “I bought the painting after I’d been aboard the first time.”  
  
“But you’re not sure who owns it?” Danny asked.  
  
“I knew who owned it when I was on it previously,” Steve corrected. “I don’t know who owns it now.”  
  
“What are you hiding?” Danny asked, his eyes narrowed. Steve shrugged innocently but Danny knew there was much more to the story. “You’re going to tell me the entire truth,” Danny said.  
  
“Yes but not right now,” Steve said as the coach slowed in front of the fire station. Steve paid the driver and watched the coach leave before going behind the firehouse. He used his palm print to gain entry, explaining that Chin and Kono would have rung the bell or asked the firemen to be allowed through. They would have then alerted one of the Navy personnel that they were requesting entry.  
  
“What’s happened?” Kono asked as soon as they were inside the chamber. With her was Chin, Clara, and Preston, all looking equally worried.  
  
“Koenigsmann knows we were following him,” Steve explained, putting down his gun. “Continuing the surveillance would have been fruitless.”  
  
“It’s good to see you, Commander,” Preston said, shaking Steve hand. “How’s your eye?”  
  
“Healing,” Steve said with a shrug. “I’ve had worse.”  
  
“What do we do now?” Danny asked.  
  
“We will take on the surveillance. Now that we know who we need to track, it won’t take us long to locate the presidium,” Preston said.  
  
“So that’s it?” Kono asked. “We just go home?”  
  
Steve exchanged looks with Danny and Chin who both shrugged.  
  
“You hate it here,” Chin reminded her.  
  
“Yeah but….”  
  
“It’s a Navy matter, ma’am,” Clara said. “We appreciate your assistance but we can’t allow you to be involved.”  
  
“Fine,” Kono sighed, reaching under her skits for the gun. “We’re going home?”  
  
“That’s the plan,” Danny said. “And I’m fine with it, now that we’ve found Steve.”  
  
“You’re coming with?” Chin asked Steve to make sure.  
  
“I’m no longer officially Navy,” Steve said. “I can’t be involved. I shouldn’t have been involved as deeply as I was.”  
  
“Just as well,” Danny said. “I guess we need to change clothes.”  
  
“I am sorry I never got to wear one of the evening dresses,” Kono said, looking down at the yards of pink silk.  
  
“Do you want to stay until tomorrow?” Steve asked. “Purely as tourists,” he added when Preston began to protest.  
  
“No,” Kono decided. “I’m ready to go.”  
  
Steve nodded, going with Chin and Danny into the men’s dressing room so that they could put on their 21 st century clothes. Clara helped Kono, who was waiting for the guys when they emerged.  
  
“Let Danny go first,” Chin suggested when they were gathered before the allineator. “He’s going to be sick.”  
  
“I’ll go first,” Steve said. “Support Danny when he gets through.”  
  
“Just go,” Danny said with shooing hands.  
  
Steve laughed, stepping into the allineator. It wasn’t long before Danny appeared, swaying as he exited. “You okay?”  
  
“No, not at all,” Danny said, sitting in a handy chair. “I may puke in your combat boots.”  
  
“Here you are,” one of the sailors said, providing Danny with a plastic trash can.  
  
“That’s dignified,” Danny protested, taking deep breaths through his nose.  
  
“Preferable to my shoes,” Steve pointed out, rubbing soothing circles on Danny’s back.  
  
Once Chin and Kono were through the allineator, one of the sailors informed the Admiral that they had returned. It didn’t take long for him to appear, requesting a full debriefing. Danny had little to say as he was consumed with trying not to fall over from the vertigo still messing with his head.  
  
With all of the information shared with the Naval personnel, the admiral offered to drive Five-0 back to their headquarters. They agreed, only so that they could collect their cars and return to their homes. It was after 9:00 when they got back to the palace, Danny wondering why it was so late.  
  
“Time moves differently,” Steve said vaguely as he drove them to his place.  
  
“I guess I won’t be time travelling again,” Danny said, keeping his window open to breathe in the fresh air.  
  
“I’ll try not to get taken hostage and stowed on a boat,” Steve promised.  
  
“I appreciate it,” Danny said. “I’d appreciate it more if you wouldn’t time travel ever again.”  
  
“I’ll do my best,” Steve said, stopping in his driveway. “Come upstairs and I’ll make it up to you.”  
  
“You need to feed me first,” Danny said. “I think I had breakfast but I haven’t eaten since.”  
  
“Whatever you want,” Steve said, pulling Danny into his arms to kiss him properly. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.  
  
“Any time, big guy. You know that,” Danny said, initiating the next kiss. “Maybe food will wait after all.”  
  
“I like the way you think,” Steve agreed, racing Danny inside and upstairs where time stood still in the best way possible.  


**Author's Note:**

> Simplyn2deep's prompt: Grace is working on her family tree has found information on the Williams dating back to the Civil War (or possibly even further) and discovered a lone McGarrett in the mix. up to the author whether the McGarrett is apart of Steve's line (or even Steve himself (Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey...Stuff) or just a coincidence. 
> 
> Hope this story fits the bill!


End file.
